In all three episodes, the idea of cognition and the mind being able to survive millions of years is relevant. They take different approaches with this idea, yet the fragility and decline of the mind is taken far beyond with technology and science.
In Altered Carbon, with the use of cortical stacks places in the spine that have “pure human mind inside coded and stored as… digital human freight… consciousness can be downloaded into any stack, in any sleeve”. Relating back to our lecture, this plays upon the idea of cybernetics. The mind is no longer an unknown and the technology in this show takes us beyond any that we can comprehend. It breaks down the humanness of the mind and the fragility of it; the mind is the most powerful essence of the body. The only weakness varies upon injury of the stack, which is not a human error, but a technical one. Bodies are less valuable, replaceable upon every physical death, which is separate from a “real death”. The realness of death only settles in once the mind is destroyed, suggesting a the disconnection of mind and body. Through the main character, we can witness an embodied cognition because despite his new sleeve, his emotions and thoughts that he felt within his last body are still very prevalent even after its physical death.
Embodied cognition is shown again in Star Trek with the emphasis on the human experience that is only integrated through the body. As the crew touches down onto the unknown planet, they meet Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch. They are minds inside a ball, expressing the idea of a brain in a vat. They seem to be more powerful, intricate, and intelligent than any race in the universe, yet lack touch. How does one find meaning in living without experience? One can only understand experience through understanding what it feels like to be a human. Sargon and Thalassa value of a body, which is opposite of the value of body in Altered Carbon. As Henoch is ultimately defeated, I believe it provides a greater message that the mind and body are interchangeable; ultimately, one cannot survive without the other. Henoch’s plan to simply exchange suits of armor to survive in is not enough for the minds to survive in, highlighting that the human experience and body are just as important as cognition.
5 thoughts on “Eternal Mind”
Hi April,
In this post, you do a really good job of talking about Altered Carbon’s application of the cybernetic approach to the mind. As you suggest, the mind is presented as something that can be downloaded into the “stack” and then easily uploaded into a new body; the mind is the software, the body is the interchangeable hardware.
Your point about how the body is represented as more fragile and vulnerable than the mind is really fascinating, and I think it offers an interesting connection to the Star Trek episode we watched. Throughout the episode, we see the negative effect that embodying incompatible alien minds has on the human body. You point about the mind and body working together, the importance of feeling and touch in our experiences is great. But I think, here too, we see the fragility of at least human bodies. It also asks us to think about how the mind and body work together a system. What happens when—to use the cybernetics metaphors—software is downloaded into hardware with which it is not compatible. How might that affect the cognitive system.
Jessica Hautsch
Hi April, I agree that the way bodies or sleeves are portrayed in Altered Carbon they have less value than in Star Trek. Henoch has devised a plan to kill Captain Kirk because his leader Sargon has inhabited Kirk’s body and forbidden complete control of the human body. In Killing Kirk, Henoch kills Sargon. That shows the importance of the consciousness or brain needing a body to function or enact the desires of one’s mind. AC shows the same need, but the need for a specific body is unnecessary. I also found it interesting in Futurama that, unlike in Star Trek and Altered Carbon, a body was not necessary. The brains floated free and communicated verbally without needing a body or lips fashioned into the brain to indicate talking.
cstiglianese
I also find it interesting that the brains were somewhat floating free. My theory is that the message they were trying to convey in futurama is Almost making fun of humans and society today. It shows us that we can just have become dumb because of how we are destroying humanity and the planet and maybe we do not even realize. In Star Trek it is showing us that we can be fooled by trying to do good for humanity but be swindled by people that may not have the best intentions for us. I think part of that is how the human mind works. We may think we are doing good by others but may not be. Others may see it as a selfish gain to take from people and the twist is their mind our body, again for their own selfish gain.
ellryan
Hi April!
I really liked your thought on the cortical stacks in the Altered Carbon episode. I didn’t really think of it like that however it does seem like bodies become less valuable due to the stack. But when intertwining that with when the mind is placed in a new sleeve and finally comes to the realization real death, we see this disconnect. I feel like though it is not necessarily a disconnect but the mind is almost updating itself to the new body which is like when a computer faces a software update reflecting the cybernetics thought. I mean if you really think about it when updating software it takes a moment for the computer to become accustomed to it which is like what happens in Altered Carbon.
Alesha Gutierrez
Hi Alesha,
Yes! I love the way that you are unpacking the cybernetic approach to the mind here by thinking about the mind as needing to “update” in response to the new body. That raises important questions about the relationship between mind and body.
Jessica Hautsch